Chart: 25 Years of Growth in The World's Largest Cities

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By 2030, two thirds of the world will live in cities. The world's 12 largest city areas are each home to over 15 million people, and over the last 25 years, cities such as Delhi, Shanghai and Beijing have tripled in size.

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This massive population growth in developing country cities will be a huge challenge to manage: water, transport, sewage, employment, quality of life will all be hard for even the most enlightened governments. Wouldn't it be wise for the development community to emphasize the provision of reproductive health services to ensure that anyone who wants to have fewer children has the opportunity to do so, thereby slowing the rate of growth (and helping women to be healthy and empowered)?